I'll Never Let You Go
by SimpleLines
Summary: All she knew that her son was sick
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I'm still not to sure I am happy about the direction Doing all I Can is taking. This story was originally going to be apart of it, but I didn't think it would fit. Instead I decided to make it a whole new story. It is still the same world as DAIC where Emma decided to keep Henry and take place sometime in the winter, not really sure what episodes it would fall between. Please let me know if you like it!

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I really hated the winter. It was cold, dark, and miserable. Storybrooke was no exception either. Actually it was probably worse then most of the places I had lived in due to its location, or Henry would probably say the curse. But the thing I hated worse then the weather was the germ that ran throughout the elementary school. At least once a winter Henry came down with some form of the flu or a cold that was going around. I hated seeing him sick plus he was always so miserable and sad. I spent most days cuddled up with him in bed while coaxing him to eat, drink, and take medicine. Usually I would keep him home a few days after he was better. Mostly for selfish reasons and partially my sanity too. I wanted to make sure that he really was better, plus I liked having an excuse to spend uninterrupted time with my son.

It seemed that germs were just like the weather in Storybrooke, curse or no curse they were still running around like mad. Henry had kept me up all night tossing and turning plus kicking the blankets off to only pull them back up again a few minutes later when he started shivering. Two of the first signs that he was coming down with something, what that something was I did not know yet.

I had given up on sleep and got up earlier then I usually did for work. I was on my second cup of coffee and I was no more awake then when I first got out of bed. I was in for a long day and I needed energy to take care of a sick Henry.

I was sprawled out across the counter when Mary walked into the kitchen.

"Rough night?" She asked sympathetically.

I let out a laugh, "That would be an understatement. Henry kept me up all night long, pretty sure he is coming down with something."

"Poor kid."

I perked up slightly when I remembered that Mary was a teacher, a connection I would have made faster had I gotten a full nights sleep, "Do you know if anything is going around school?" I asked her.

Mary paused for a moment before saying, "No, I don't think so. Or at least none of my students have been out yet."

I sighed, "Must mean Henry is the first one. Lucky kid."

I sat up straighter when I heard creaking above me. I could tell that Henry was moving slower then usual, though I had to give him props for actually getting out of bed and trying to get ready for the day. As he came down the stairs I watched his every move hoping that he wouldn't fall over, he looked even more tired that I felt.

Once he was sitting down at the counter next to me I turned to him, "Morning kid, how are you feeling?"

"Fine." Henry mumbled, even though he and I both knew that he wasn't.

He always tried to act as if he wasn't sick when he was first coming down with something. I don't know why he put up the act; it always fell through in the end.

At this moment I took advantage of his weakened state and put the back of my hand to his forehead. "You sure?" I prodded one more time.

Henry jerked his head back, "Yes!" he whined, "its just a little headache."

And now the truth came out. The kid knew better then to lie to me and it was not just because of my super power. He was an open book around me and there was nothing he could hide, something he hated especially in moments like these.

"If you're sure." I wasn't going to press on the issue and make him more upset. Even though he didn't fell abnormally warm I headed into the bathroom to get the thermometer and children's Advil to be on the safe side. When I came back Mary was pouring a glass of orange juice.

"I asked Henry if he wanted anything for breakfast and he said he wasn't hungry." She looked at me worriedly.

Loss of appetite was another sign the kid was getting sick, even Mary who had only known us for a few months could see that when the kid didn't want to eat something was not right. I pushed his shaggy hair to the side and made a mental note to myself that when Henry was better he needed to get his hair cut. Without ceremony I placed the thermometer in his ear. I could tell Henry wanted to protest, just sent him a stern look which stopped him from saying anything else.

When the thermometer beeped I pulled it out, so far no fever though that still didn't mean he wasn't getting sick. Of course no fever meant that Henry could go to school, because no matter how bad he felt he just had to go in. To be safe and to help ease any pain he was in and not admitting to I poured the directed amount of Advil into the little plastic cup.

Henry looked it the medicine and at me disgusted, "Do I have to?" he whined, not that I blamed him the stuff was gross.

"Yes, and just because you don't have a fever won't mean I'll break our deal and keep you home. So drink it then finish getting ready for school."

The kid glared at me the entire time he took the Advil then drank the rest of his orange juice. I took both cups from him as he walked into the bathroom.

"No fever?" Mary asked once Henry was out of earshot.

"Nope, normal 98o which gives me no reason to fight with him to stay home." It was times like these that I hated the agreement Henry and I came up with. "Could you watch out for him today and text me if he gets worse?"

"Of course." Mary placed her hand on my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

I gave her a small smile and watched as she walked back into her bedroom to finish getting ready for work. I let out a long sigh and flopped onto the counter again. I was going to need another cup of coffee as soon as I got to the station if I wanted to stay on my feet today.

There was no use wasting time and hoping that Henry's fever would spike within the next 30 minutes so I forced myself to get up and follow Mary's and Henry's leads to get ready to face the day.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I guess there was some confusion over this story. It is different from DAIC except the two are in the same AU world where Emma decided to keep Henry. I have about three or four chapters written so far. Please review and let know know what you think of it. Your kind words keep me going through the insanity that is my life right now.

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Why was it always the days I wanted to keep busy where I had no work to do? There never was a lot going on in the small town to begin with, but the usual complaints or worries were not uncommon. But today the phones were dead, which meant my mind kept wandering to Henry. Mary had not texted me any updates on the kid which meant two possible options. One she was too busy teaching to text me anything or two there was nothing to update because there was nothing wrong with the kid to begin with. I was pretty sure it wasn't option two because there was no way the kid wasn't getting sick. Which left me with option one which didn't make sense either because if Mary was really worried about Henry should would find a way to sneak in a text message or even an e-mail.

I tried my hardest to keep my mind busy and from driving over to school to check in. I was so desperate I even started re-organizing the office and I hated doing filing. Finally a little before lunch I got the text I had been waiting for all day. _You better come get Henry_ was all it said but that was enough for me and I didn't have to be told twice. I quickly shut everything down and turned on the appropriate messages, I knew I wasn't going to be back in the office for a while. Once that was set I went straight to my bug and headed to school.

Lunch was just starting and the kids were running around the halls trying to make their way to the cafeteria. I glimpsed around, the number of students did not appear smaller then usual confirming my first thoughts that Henry was the first. I weaved in and out of the students and made my way to Mary's room. I opened the door quietly and was greeted by the sight of Henry passed out on his desk.

"How was he?" I whispered to Mary as I tiptoed to where my son was sleeping.

"He fought hard all morning, but he kept getting more and more lethargic. But he insisted that he was fine and that he did not want to go home." she explained.

I let out a long sigh and shook my head, "Of course he did. He'll fight me tooth and nail until he can't deny it any longer. I wonderful trait he inherited from me."

Mary smiled the way she always did when I gave her personal information about mine and Henry's life. "Once his head hit the desk I knew it was time to text you. I didn't have the heart to wake him and none of the other kids noticed."

That was a relief to hear. I knew ho cruel kids could be and I didn't want Henry to have problems with his peers, he had been doing really well in school so far. I crouched down to the kids level at the desk. I hated to wake him up too, but I needed to get him home and into bed. I ran my hand up and down his back whispering his name into his ear until he finally picked his head up.

He looked at me confused and groggy, "Mom?"

I gave him a gentle smile, "Yeah kid its me. Ms. Blanchard texted me. I'm gonna take you home."

"Mom, I don't feel well."

I ran my fingers through his hair and brushed over his forehead, there was no denying a fever now, "I know, come on lets get you home."

I helped him stand up from his desk. Mary came over to us with his coat and backpack. The coat I helped him put on and the backpack was thrown over my shoulder.

"Do I need to sign him out?" I asked Mary, all schools had different policies on what I needed to do before my sick kid could leave.

"Don't worry I'll do it just get him home." she laid a hand on Henry's shoulder, "Feel better."

"Thanks Ms. Blanchard." He managed to get out.

Turning back to me Mary asked, "Do you need me to pick anything up?"

"Could you get more children's Advil we're almost out."

"Of course. I'll see you both at home."

With that Henry and I were off slowly down the hall. Each step he took seemed to take all of his effort and he leaned more heavily on me the closer we got to our destination. Once I got Henry into my car he immediately curled up into a ball and closed his eyes. I ran around to the other side and drove off, I didn't want to waste any more time getting him home. At the apartment it was a struggle to get up the stairs. It was one of the drawbacks of living on the top floor of a walk up and then we still had more stairs to climb to get to our bedroom. The poor kid was sweating and breathing as if he had just run a marathon. I carefully lowered him onto the bed and went straight to the drawers to get him a clean pair of pajamas. I had to help him change out of his school uniform and into them since he was still worn out from all the stairs. Finally I tucked him into bed, my baby blanket lying on top of the sheets.

I kissed Henry's sweaty forehead and said, "I'll be right back."

I quickly ran down stairs to the kitchen where I had conveniently left the supplies from this morning. I also poured Henry a glass of water, he needed to stay hydrated. Once I was sure I had everything I headed back upstairs, I didn't want to have to leave the kid alone again. He was falling back to sleep when I entered the room. I gently put the thermometer into his ear and in response I got a moan. Luckily he was still alert enough that I wouldn't feel guilty for having to wake him up to take the medicine. Henry's temperature was now 100 degrees, no wonder the kid was so tired. I poured him more Advil, which of course he protested to. But I managed to get him to take it along with the glass of water.

I combed my fingers through his hair, "How are you feeling?" I asked

"Sore, I hurt everywhere. And I'm tired, really tired." He finally admitted. It was nice to hear the truth. I just wish he would have told me it sooner maybe then he wouldn't feel as bad as he did.

"Do you need anything else?"

Henry shook his head no. I crawled into bed with him and he immediately curled into my side. I continued to run my fingers through his hair as he started to fall back asleep. The kid had probably come down with a case of the flu. He had all the right symptoms: fever, fatigue, and sore body. I kept my fingers crossed that it would not get any worse and all Henry needed was sleep, fluids, and Advil to keep his fever down. If it was like the other cases he had gotten over the years it would knock him out for a few days before he would bounce back to his normal self as if he hadn't been sick the day before. I knew the kid wasn't going to be waking up anytime soon so I decided to take a nap with him. Just like when Henry was a baby I knew it was best to sleep when he was so I would be as rested as possible when he was awake.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Thank you so much to all of you who are reading this story. I love getting the e-mail letting me know about story alerts and review. Sorry if there are more mistakes then usual, I wanted to get this out before I started my homework. I don't really have anything else to say, so please enjoy and let me know what you think!

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I woke up to the sound of the front door being opened, I had no idea how long I had been asleep for. I looked over to check on my son. He was still fast asleep, though shivering. I pushed his sweaty bangs away from his forehead, he was still too hot. I hadn't expected his fever to magically disappear, but I had hoped the medicine would lower it a bit to relieve some pain. I quietly got out of bed so not to disturb Henry. I pulled to covers up around him and tucked them in tightly before walking downstairs.

"How is he?" Mary asked as soon as she saw me.

"No different. We fell asleep as soon as we got home and he is still out cold. I think he came down with a really bad case of the flu." I explained to her.

"Poor kid, hopefully he didn't spread too many germs around school today."

"Fingers crossed, though if it wasn't him I'm sure some other kid will start it."

Mary laughed, "Point taken, germs do spread like wild fire around schools."

"That is an understatement." I rolled my eyes.

"I was thinking of getting dinner from Granny's. Do you want anything?"

"Yeah I'll have my usual and can you get Henry chicken soup? I want to try and get him to eat something next time he wakes up. He hasn't had anything to eat since dinner last night."

"No problem. I got the children's Advil you asked for too, it's in the bag."

"Thank you." I searched through the bag that Mary had pointed to until I found the box.

I never realized how much easier taking care of a kid was when I had help until now. Gone were the days of making sure I got home from work on time to relieve the babysitter. Gone were the days of having to pay for someone to watch the kid. I didn't even have to worry about what I to do with Henry when he had a day off from school and I had to go into work. Especially now since Mary was his teacher and most of the time they had the same days off. Even getting him to do his homework was easier. I did not have the best formal education growing up and did not remember a lot of the things Henry was learning. But since we had Mary she was able to explain to us what he was supposed to do. The fights we had over homework had almost disappeared. He still never wanted to do it, but that was to be expected cause what kid did? Of course the best part about having help was days like today when I could not leave the kid alone to run errands because he was so sick. Now that I had Mary I wasn't sure I could go back to taking care of Henry alone, I had become spoiled.

While Mary called in our order I went back upstairs to check on Henry. I don't think he moved since I left him. He looked so tiny and fragile lying in the big bed. He was pale too except for the bright red cheeks flushed from his fever. I stole a quick kiss before grabbing my phone and heading back downstairs. I sat at the counter and checked to see if I had any messages. So far nothing and hopefully it would stay that way until the kid was better, or at least fever free. With my past jobs I was able to switch shifts or say no to an offer, but since I was a sheriff with no deputy I had no choice but go into work if there was an emergency. I placed my phone in my pocket; I did not plan on looking at it again for a while. As long as nothing major happened the townspeople should be fine without me.

"I'm off to get the food, do you need anything else?" Mary asked me as she put on her jacket.

"No I think we're good for now." I answered with a smile.

I watched her finish getting ready and waved goodbye as she walked out the door. With her gone and Henry asleep I wasn't sure what to do. Normally I had one of them to talk to so it was weird being in the quiet apartment. I decided to be helpful and finish cleaning the dishes from this morning. It was the least I could do after all that Mary had done for me today. Plus I didn't want Henry's germs spreading to Mary or myself; the two of us could not afford to get sick. That was how Mary found me when she walked back into the apartment. I ended up cleaning the entire kitchen both out of boredom and fear of germs.

Mary looked at me in shock, "Are you cleaning?"

I shrugged him shoulder, "We don't need another patient in this apartment."

She accepted my answer without further questioning and placed the food bag onto the now clean counter. We were pulling everything out when I looked over to see Henry coming down the stairs, my baby blanket wrapped around his shoulders.

"Hey kid, you feeling any better?" I asked gently once he was safely at the bottom on the stairs.

Henry shook his head no, "I hurt everywhere."

"I'm sorry." I placed my hand on his forehead once he was sitting down, he felt warmer then before. "Why don't you try eating and then I'll give you some more Advil."

"I'm not hungry." He moaned placing his head on the counter.

"I know, but Mary got you some soup and you need to have something in your stomach." I reasoned with him.

He turned his head to face me and sighed, I took that as a yes. Mary pulled out a bowl and a spoon and handed them both to me. I poured a small amount of soup into the bowl and placed it in front of Henry. I watched as he pushed the broth around with his spoon before finally putting a small amount into his mouth.

"I don't want anymore." He said dropping the spoon into the bowl.

"Just two more spoonfuls and then you can be done." I bargained. As much as I would have liked him to eat everything in the bowl, I knew that wasn't possible and I didn't want to fight with him when he was sick. Henry grumbled, but followed my directions.

I gave him a smile after he had his two spoonfuls, "Thank you. Now about about you take a bath before heading back to bed?"

The kid just nodded his head and walked into the bathroom. I followed close behind to get the bath ready.

While the water was running I asked, "Do you need any help?" Once again Henry shook his head no. "Alright, just call for me when you are done."

With those final words I left the bathroom and left the door slightly open. I wanted to give Henry as much privacy as possible even though I hated leaving him alone in there. But I had to respect his wishes since he was 10 years old now even if I wasn't anything I hadn't seen before.

"When was the last time you had anything to eat?" Mary asked startling me.

I paused for a moment trying to remember. I hadn't eaten breakfast this morning because I was too exhausted and forgot all about eating when Henry woke up. I didn't eat lunch either because that was when Mary had texted me and I had fallen asleep as soon as I got home.

"I guess dinner last night." I said slightly surprised it had been that long.

Mary had already put my sandwich on a plate and pushed it towards me. "Eat." She ordered.

I didn't have to be told twice and quickly took a bit out of my sandwich. I didn't realize how hungry I was until this moment. It didn't take long for me to devour the rest of my sandwich and fries.

"You need to make sure to eat." Mary scolded me when I finished.

I just shrugged, "I guess I forgot. I've been so stressed and worried about Henry."

As if on cue Henry came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. "Let's get you back into bed kid."

I grabbed the new bottle of Advil and followed close behind my son up the stairs. While he sat down on the bed I pulled out a fresh pair of pajamas. I would have to do a serious amount of laundry once he was better. Since he was a little more lucid now then he was this afternoon I had to turn around and wait for him to get dressed. Hopefully this was a good sign that this flu wasn't as bad as I thought it was. When he was finished and checked his temperature, it had gone up since this afternoon. There went my wishful thinking. I didn't let Henry see how worried I was as I poured him more Advil and tucked him into bed.

"Will you stay with me?" He asked, his eyelids already drooping.

"Of course kid." As if he needed to ask, there wasn't anywhere else I rather be, or had to be. Plus how could I deny my sick son anything, I had enough trouble doing that when he was well.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Thank you so much for all of the kind words! They really do mean a lot to me especially now. I am going to apologize now for any mistakes. Its finals week and my brain has turned into total mush. Also I know nothing about doctors and hospitals. Most of my knowledge comes from TV shows, so there a good chance things might be inaccurate. Enjoy and please let me know what you think!

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I must have fallen asleep because next thing I knew Henry was shaking me away. "What's wrong?" I asked jumping up.

"I threw up." Henry mumbled looking miserable and embarrassed.

I glanced over on his side of the bed; he probably hadn't woken up in time to make it to the garbage. I held back a worried sigh, it looked like it was turning into that kind of flu, the kind where nothing stayed inside for too long. I hated this flu, it was not only gross but made Henry more miserable and in more pain.

I quickly turned into concerned mom mode, "Let's get you cleaned up."

I helped Henry out of bed and down the stairs. In the bathroom I sat him down on the closed toilet seat and helped him out of his dirty shirt, looked like I was going to do laundry a lot sooner then I had expected. I grabbed a washcloth and ran it under cold water. Even though Henry was shivering he was hot to touch due to his fever. I ran the washcloth over his face and chest to both clean and cool his body down.

"I think I'm going to be sick again." Henry moaned, and I sprung into action again. I quickly got him off the toilet and onto the floor.

I opened the lid just in time for him to throw up into the toilet instead of on it saving me from another mess that I would have to clean up. I ran my hand up and down his bare back trying my best to comfort him.

I glanced up briefly at the door when I heard creaking and saw Mary standing in the doorway. "I'm sorry did we wake you?" I apologized.

"No its okay. How is he doing?" she asked looking concerned.

I shook my head, "He's already thrown up in bed, but luckily I got him into the bathroom fast enough for round two."

Mary shot us a sympathetic look and moved out of the doorway, I wasn't sure where she was off to.

"You finished?" I asked when Henry picked his head up.

He shook his head yes and leaned against me. He closed his eyes and tried to catch his breath.

"Do you feel any better?" I prodded.

Henry shook his head no and moaned. The kid was miserable, not that I could blame him throwing up was no fun.

Mary came back into the bathroom with a clean sleep shirt for Henry, my baby blanket, and a glass of water.

"Thank you Ms. Blanchard." Henry managed to get out.

"It's no problem sweetie." She leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

Mary's eyes widened with worry when they met mine. I mouthed I know to her, both of us were worried over how high Henry's fever was.

"Feel better." she told Henry and grabbed his dirty shirt before I could stop her.

I turned back to Henry with the cup of water, "Slow sips." I reminded him.

Henry nodded his head in agreement and I helped him take a few sips of the water. I was hoping not to have another repeat so soon, but no such luck. Once he was finished with round three I only allowed him to rinse his mouth out, we would try more water or another liquid later once his stomach had a chance to settle.

"It hurts Mommy." Henry cried and curled into me.

"I know." The poor kid didn't have anything in his stomach. I was actually surprised he had anything left to throw up.

I helped Henry into the clean shirt and laid his head on my lap with the blanket spread out over his shoulders.

"Try and get some more rest." I soothed wanting Henry to take advantage over a moment of not having to be sick. I didn't take long for the kid to fall back asleep.

"Any better?" Mary asked peaking her head back into the bathroom.

I sighed, "No. I think he's getting worse. I'm sorry we're keeping you awake." I felt guilty for keeping her up.

"It's fine, really." She said, "Oh I threw the dirty sheets and shirt into the wash."

"You didn't have to do that." Now I felt guiltier then before.

"I wanted to. You just help your son and make sure he gets better soon."

I gave Mary a relieved, but tired smile. She gave me one back and headed out again hopefully to get some sleep.

I ran my hand over Henry's forehead hoping to find him cooler to touch, but no such luck. I knew it was wishful thinking on my part, but sometimes throwing up helps. It was a good thing the thermometer was still upstairs, I was afraid to see what the kid's temperature was. I had no plans of going back up there anyway. There was no way I was leaving my sick son alone in the bathroom and I wanted to play it safe and keep him in here until we were sure he was done throwing up.

I tried my best to get comfortable on the floor, I had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

The next time I woke up it was because of Henry again. Only this time it wasn't him shaking me awake. My eyes burst open when I felt my son jump off of my lap and heard the all too familiar sound of retching. I quickly moved to comfort him, but was taken aback by how hot his neck was. This was not a good sign.

The kid was panting when he finished a moment later. I was about to flush the toilet when I noticed something wrong, blood. Thankfully Mary was walking by at that exact moment so I didn't have to leave Henry to get her.

"Mary could you get your car ready for us?" I called out to her.

"Of course, what for?"

"I need you to take Henry and me to the hospital." I answered in a steady voice.

Her eyes widened when she heard my request, but was quick to respond.

I heard a whimper and turned to look at my son, "I don't want to go to the hospital." Henry cried, the tears were already falling.

I gathered him up into my arms and started to rock him, "I know kid. I wish I didn't have to take you, but I have no choice. You're fever is way too high and you just threw up blood."

This new information just made Henry cry harder. I continued to rock him and whisper comforting words into his ears. I tried my best not to show how scared I was. I needed to keep a brave face on for my son.

Mary stuck her head back into the bathroom, "The car is ready."

I helped Henry stand up and walk into the main room. As quickly as possible I gather his coat and a pair of socks and helped him put both on. Then I got myself ready and grabbed all the important documents that I may need.

"We're ready." I told Mary who had been sitting with Henry while I was getting ready. She nodded her head and got up off the couch. "Tell me if you are going to be sick." I whispered into Henry's ear before giving him another kiss.

As carefully as possible I picked my son up. I swear he felt lighter then the last time I had to carry him, which was not a good sign since that was months ago. The three of us headed down the stairs and into Mary's car. Inside of it I kept Henry on my lap afraid of letting him go. I needed to contact almost as much as he did.

The ride to the hospital was thankfully short and Henry did not get sick. The sun was just starting to rise so no one was on the road but us. Henry was shivering in my arms due to a combination of chills and fear. I tried my hardest to comfort him keep him calm.

Mary pulled up to the front entrance and turned around to face us. "You head inside and get him settled. I'll find a spot to park then meet you."

"Thanks again." I carefully got out of the car with Henry still in my arms.

The hospital was just as empty as the roads so it didn't take long for them to admit Henry. He was given a bed, changed, and had an IV drip a lot faster then usual. A nurse had even come into check him over. Just as I had thought his fever was way too high and he was severely dehydrated. I held onto his hand as he fell back to sleep.

Mary quietly joined me at my son's bedside as we waited for Dr. Whale. Even if she wasn't saying or doing anything it was nice to have her support. Just her presence was enough to calm me down.

Finally Dr. Whale entered the room, "So what seems to be the problem?'

"Henry wasn't feeling well yesterday. It was the usual fever and he was tired and achy. I thought he was just coming down with the flu. He started throwing up in the middle of the night. And as soon as I saw blood on his vomit I asked Mary to drive us here." I explained.

Dr. Whale was busy checking over Henry's information and writing down on his clipboard. "I'm going to have a nurse come in and draw blood to start. Hopefully from there we can figure out what is making Henry so sick."

"Thank you."

Dr. Whale gave a small nod with his head before leaving the room.

Mary put her hand on my shoulder, "It's going to be okay Emma. Henry is young and in good health. I'm sure he'll bounce back in no time after Dr. Whale figures of what is making him sick."

"I hope you are right." I sighed.

"Mommy?" Henry moaned weakly.

"Hey kid," I gave him a gently smile and started running my fingers through his bangs.

"Where am I?" he asked, and I tried not to look worried. He just woke up and his high fever could easily account for the confusion.

"You're in the hospital do you remember why?"

Henry blinked a few times before answering, "Fever and blood."

"Yeah that's right, Dr. Whale was just in here and he is going to figure out what is making you so sick."

The same nurse that had gotten Henry settled in was back in the room.

"I am here to take Henry's blood." She said with a big smile on. If she was trying to keep us calm with that smile, it wasn't going to work. It was too early in the morning to be that happy and peppy.

"Blood!" Henry gasped; he had never done well with needles.

"Henry it's going to be okay." I put both my hands on his face and made him look at me. He did not need to have a panic attack right now. "Just focus on me, it will all be over soon.

Henry nodded his head; I could still see the fear in his eyes. "Hey keep your eyes on me." I reminded him as they wondered over to where the nurse was prepping his arm.

He squeezed his eyes shut when the needle entered him and I leaned my forehead against him for more contact. I also continued to hold onto his face so he couldn't turn and look. Mary was even holding his free hand and allowing him to squeeze it.

"There, all done." The nurse said as she pulled the needle out.

I waited until she cleaned up his arm and left the room before letting my son go. "You did it kid. Now why don't you try and get some more sleep."

Henry nodded his head, having blood drawn had taken a lot out of him. As soon as his head hit the pillow he was out.

"You know you should listen to your own advice." Mary whispered.

I turned to look at her, "What do you mean?"

"You should get some rest too. All this stress is going to make you sick too. Henry is going to need you well rested when he gets released."

"Even if I wanted to sleep I don't think I can." I explained to her, though Mary wasn't taking no for an answer.

"You have to try. I'll keep watch and wake you as soon as Dr. Whale comes back with any news."

I nodded my head and agreed to try. Mary sounded a lot like my mother right now, and I was in no place to argue. I laid my head next to Henry's and grabbed his hand in mine as I tried to fall asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **So I had to get this out earlier then usual after this weeks episode. I did not see that coming at all. But it seems like this story has a taken a similar path, which is a total coincidence. So before I give you much away I am going to stop talking. Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

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It didn't take long for me to give up on trying to sleep. I was too wound up and had a million thoughts and worries running through my head all about what could be wrong with my kid. I could tell Mary wanted to protest when she saw me sit up, but she didn't say anything. Instead she grabbed my free hand, my other one was holding Henry's, and squeezed it.

It seemed like the kid was also not going to get the rest he needed. Henry was tossing and turning until finally his eyes open wide and he shot up in be.

"I'm going to be sick." He stated.

Mary ran to find a nurse and I tried to find something for Henry to throw up into. I found a basin just in time. I was afraid to look when he was finished, but I forced myself to. Just as I had feared, there was still blood. Henry saw it too this time and it started a whole new fit. I put the basin down and crawled into bed with my son. I pulled him into my chest and tucked his head under my chin.

"I heard that someone got sick." The too cheerful nurse was back.

I just jerked my head pointing to where I had put the basin not mentioning the blood. She and Dr. Whale would be able to see that soon enough, I didn't need to remind Henry of what had just happened. The nurse just smiled and took away the basin.

"Thank you." Mary said speaking the words I could not.

She came back into the room and took the seat I had previously occupied – I was not leaving my son's bed anytime soon – and grabbed Henry's hand in her own. The two of us worked on calming the kid down, but it wasn't working. He continued to cry about the pain and out of fear. It broke my heart to see him like this and I would do anything to take away the pain.

"Isn't there anything you can give my son? He's in pain and can't calm down!" I shouted at the nurse.

"Let me go talk to Dr. Whale." She was off again leaving Mary and I alone with a screaming kid.

He was past the point of crying and on his way to hysterics, this could not be good for his already weakened state. The fever wasn't helping either it was making him delirious.

Finally the nurse came back and told us, "Dr. Whale said we can give Henry a mind sedative to help him rest."

While she was prepping the drugs Henry saw the needle, which sent him off down a new road. He was thrashing in my arms shouting that he didn't want any more shots.

"Don't worry sweetie, this doesn't go in your arm." The nurse tried to ease Henry's worries, but he was too worked up to listen.

I did my best to hold my son still as she emptied the content of the needle into the IV.

"There that should calm him down." She smiled at us and then left the room.

The effects were fast and Henry immediately stopped thrashing. I continued to rock him as the sedative did its job and finally allowed Henry to sleep. I kissed the top of his head and took a breath in engulfing myself in his scent. My heart was racing out of fear and from adrenaline that I had used to hold my son down. I did not want to have to go through that again.

"Here." I looked up to see Mary handing me a damp cloth.

I took it and said, "Thank you." Then got straight to work wiping the sweat and tears off Henry's face. He didn't even react to the water, which was much colder then his body temperature. I hoped this was due to the sedative and not his fever.

After what felt like an eternity Dr. Whale came back into the room.

"Emma can I please see you outside." He said, showing no emotion on his face.

"Outside? Why can't you just talk to me here?" Outside meant something bad and I did not want to hear bad news nor leave my kid.

"It is important that I talk to you outside."

"Go Emma, I'll stay with him." Mary chimed in.

"Actually, I need to talk to you outside as well." Dr. Whale corrected.

Mary and I exchanged worried glances. Why would he need to talk to both of us outside? My curiosity and worry for my son won out in the end though.

I gave Henry a hug and whispered in his ear, "I'll be back." Even though I knew he probably couldn't hear me.

With one final kiss I got out of the bed and with Mary we followed Dr. Whale out into the hall.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked not wanting to waste anytime. I felt anxious being away from my son.

"It appears that Henry has been poisoned." Dr. Whale told us.

"Poisoned, but how could that be?" I asked, I had not expected that.

"That is what we are trying to figure out. Has he eaten anything unusual since he got sick?"

"No. He hasn't had anything really. The night before he had a hot dog and the yesterday a little soup. But other then that all he's had is water and Advil. Do you think someone poisoned his food?"

"I'm not sure, this poison isn't like anything I've ever seen before."

"Is my son going to be okay?"

"We are going to try our best." That was not the answer I was hoping for.

"Can I go back and see him now?" I asked, I had been away for too long.

"I'm afraid not Ms. Swan." I whipped around to see Regina walking towards us.

"What are you doing here?" I spat, I was in no mood to play games with her.

"When the sheriff's son has mysteriously been poisoned they call me in for an investigation." She said too calmly.

"An investigation on who?" I knew I didn't need to ask that question, I had a feeling I already knew the answer.

"You. Who else would try and poison Henry?"

"Me, poison Henry? Why would I poison my own son?"

"Oh I don't know. You were tired of having to take care of him or angry that you had to stay here and wanted an easy way out. Really the list is infinite."

"I did not try to kill my son! I'm going to see him now." I tried to push past Regina, but she pushed me back.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow you to do that, not until we rule you out as a suspect." She explained with a smirk, she seemed a bit too happy about this exchange.

I stood there in shock, this could not be happening. Never in a million years would I try and kill my son.

"Don't worry Emma I'll stay with him." Mary said trying to ease me fears.

"I'm afraid I can't let you go in either." Regina said, it almost sounded like a laugh.

"But she has guardianship over him." I objected. As soon as Mary and I got close I put her down as a legal guardian for Henry in case something happened to me. I didn't want him ending up in the system like I did and I finally had someone who could and agreed to take custody of him.

"Doesn't matter she is a suspect as well." Regina explained.

"Then who is going to watch Henry and make his medical decisions?" I asked, though I had a feeling I knew the answer to this question as well.

"I am. It is my duty as the mayor to look out for the people in this town."

"Fine then I'll get to work finding out who poisoned my son." I shot back at her.

"I'm afraid I cannot let you do that either." I shouldn't have been surprised by this answer.

"It's my job as sheriff to investigate." I tried to protest.

"And you can also tamper with any evidence that proves you guilty if I allow that." Regina replied.

"Can I at least say goodbye?"

"No I think it is best if you just leave." Regina did not try to hide her smile this time.

I was about to say more, but Mary took my elbow and dragged me out of the hospital. I don't think I would have been able to walk without her holding onto me. My mind was blank; I didn't know what to do. I just let Mary led me wherever she wanted us to go.

"David what are you doing here?" Mary asked shocked to see him. I would have been too under different circumstances.

"Oh you know just the normal check up to see how my head is doing." He shrugged casually, "I think the better question to ask is what are you two doing here?"

"Henry is really sick and they think Emma and I are the reason behind it. So now we have been kicked out of the hospital until they prove or innocence." She explained with way too much detail.

"How sick is really sick?"

I squeezed Mary's hand hard when I heard that question. Before I had been hearing the words spoken, but had not been processing the information. But now in this new light, it was the question I feared the most.

"I can stay with him if you like." David suggested, I think my reaction was enough to let him know the answer to his question. "No one will question why I am there and I can update you on how he is doing."

"Really? You would do that for us?" Mary asked surprised, I kind of was too.

"Of course. Henry should have someone he is comfortable around when he is sick."

"Thank you so much David."

I just nodded my head. The words were lost on my tongue. The three of us parted ways and Mary continued to lead me to her car. I started out the window on the ride home still numb from what had gone down at the hospital. Even as we entered the apartment I was still lost and confused. The only thing I could think to do was clean. It was the best thing to do to keep my mind busy. I headed straight to the bathroom first, the last place Henry had been. That's when I noticed my baby blanket still on the bathroom floor where the kid had throw in off. I picked up it and ran towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Mary asked blocking me.

"The hospital, I need to go to the hospital." I answered her.

"You can't go there Emma." She said calmly as if speaking to one of her students.

"But Henry needs my blanket."

"Emma…"

"No I have to take it to him, he needs it!" I tried to get around her, but Mary was a lot stronger then she looked and she held me back from the exit. "Please let me go. He needs it…he needs me."

The damn had broken and the tears started to fall shortly after, but I continued to struggle. Mary wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close. I was getting as worked up as Henry had when I last saw him.

"I can't be away from him." I cried into Mary's shoulder.

"I know." She replied and slowly started to lead me away from the front door and to her bedroom.

She laid us down on the bed and continued to me and rock me like I had done with Henry, as if she was my mother.

"We've never been apart like this and he is so sick. He needs me. I'm his mother not her."

"It's going to be okay Emma." Mary tried to comfort me, but it wasn't working.

"How can it be? They think we've poisoned my son. Why would I do that to him? I don't regret anything I've done for him. Why can't they understand that? I can't even do my job to prove our innocence. I bet Regina is going to make it look like I poisoned Henry so she can get custody of him." I was rambling, but it was my biggest fear that someone would take away Henry from me.

"Now why would she do that?"

"Because she thinks I'm a terrible mother, and she's…she's just plain evil."

"None of that matters Emma. Dr. Whale is going to find out how to cure Henry and we are going to get him back as soon as he does because they will realize that we would never hurt him. Regina can't keep you separated forever."

"I hope you are right." I sniffed the tears were slowing down. I wanted to believe Mary so badly, even if she had no support for her reasoning. The way she said it just made me want to believe that it would happen just like that.

"I am. Now I want you to try and get someone sleep. You're going to need to be well rested for when Henry comes home." She brushed and errant curl away from my face and tucked it behind my ear.

"Will you stay with me?" I asked feeling a lot like Henry.

"Of course." Mary took my baby blanket from my hands and spread it out over my shoulders.

Even though I wanted to fight sleep, exhaustion won out in the end. It wasn't long until I fell into a fitful slumber that was only slightly eased through Mary's presence.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Happy Once Day! And of course Mother's Day too. I had to get this out before tonight's episode, which I am freaking out over and terrified for. I don't think I have anything else to say. So please enjoy and let me know what you think. All of your reviews make me so happy!

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24 hours. That was how long it had been since I last saw my son. I had woken up from my nap well rested and still in Mary's arms. The entire night before came flooding back to me and I was once again a bumbling mess. But Mary was there to calm me down. I got straight to work from there. I cleaned the entire apartment looking for anything that would have hurt Henry. I didn't care what Regina said there was no way I was staying 100% out of this case. My son's life was in danger and I needed to protect him. Plus I needed to keep my mind busy. As soon as I stopped working it went straight to Henry lying in that hospital bed alone which lead to more tears. At least I wasn't totally in the dark about my kid. David sent hourly text messages updating us about everything Henry did and what Dr. Whale said. It was the best situation without being there with him.

Mary had stood off to the side and let me do my own thing. The only time she interrupted was to force to me eat and sleep, neither of which I wanted to do. She practically shoved me into a chair and forced the food down my throat until I was responsive. She held me once again in her bed to get me to sleep. I couldn't go upstairs to my room, it wasn't right without my kid. I couldn't even go up there to clean. So many images of sick Henry were in my mind when I thought of our bedroom. I only wanted to think about him being healthy so I stayed downstairs where it wasn't tainted by the memories. I knew I had to clean upstairs though.

If that was where Henry got sick I had to price that it wasn't my fault. When I got up to the bedroom the first thing I noticed was the bed. At some point during the day Mary had changed the sheets and remade the bed. I would have to thank her later for that. I didn't waste any time and got straight to work dusting and organizing everything in our room. Since I didn't know what I was looking for it made the search harder, which was also a good thing because it kept my mind busy. Our bedroom needed to be cleaned anyway. Henry and I weren't slobs, but we weren't the neatest people either. It was amazing how much junk a 10 year old brings home. And since we didn't have a lot of space nor did we spend much time in our bedroom things piled up. I would have to remember to do a better job of keeping our room clean when Henry got better.

I was in the middle of picking up clothes when I heard the front door open. I didn't question it, Mary was probably going out to run errands or something. She hadn't left the apartment either since we got back from the hospital. I continued on with my task, but stopped when I heard voices. One was definitely Mary's, but the other sounded like a man's. They were discussing something in great detail, but their voices were low. Which only meant one thing, they didn't want me to over hear what they were saying. I threw the shirt I was holding onto the bed and headed downstairs. Mary and David were sitting at the table discussing something, concerned looks on both of their faces. I had a good feeling I knew who they were talking about.

"Hey Emma." David said when he saw me.

Mary turned around in her seat to face me; she looked as if she was going to cry. This was not good.

"What's going on?" I asked warily afraid of the answer.

"I think you should sit down for this Emma." Mary said talking to me as if I was one of her students.

"No." I felt like a child as I stood at the bottom of the stairs refusing to move.

The two didn't listen to me and David pushed me into a chair between him and Mary.

"Emma, it's about Henry." David stared he looked disheveled and sad. I knew where this was heading. "He's…he's not doing so well. Dr. Whale has been trying all sorts of medications and tests, but nothing is really working."

"How bad is he?" I asked surprised that I was able to get the words out of my mouth.

"They don't now if he'll make it to tomorrow."

That's when I broke. My biggest fears had come true, Henry was going to die. I felt like I had failed him. I had done everything in my power to protect him so that he would be safe and happy. But instead I had brought him to this stupid town only to get him killed. Mary was quick to react and pulled me into her arms. She let me cry onto her shoulder until I couldn't cry anymore.

I picked my head up and looked at both of them, "I have to see Henry."

"I know that's why I'm here. Dr. Whale agreed that you need to see Henry before…" David explained.

"But what about Regina?" I asked, hatred didn't begin to describe how I felt about her right now.

"She hasn't been to the hospital since you left. Besides she has no right to separate a mother from her sick son."

"Can we go now?"

David nodded his head and I quickly got up and ran to put on my coat and shoes. I made sure to grab my baby blanket too, I wasn't making that mistake again.

In my opinion David was not driving fast enough to the hospital. My knee bounced in anticipation, I needed to see my son now. As soon as the car pulled up to the door I was out and inside the building. I walked quickly and did not stop until I got to my destination. There I froze when I saw Henry. He was so pale with large bags under his eyes and bright red cheeks. He had an oxygen mask on which took up most of his face. He appeared to be sleeping so I tiptoed over to the chair I sat in yesterday and draped my baby blanket over his chest. I looked up at his face and saw him blinking his eyes.

"Mommy?" Henry croaked through the mask.

"Hey kid." I started running my fingers through his hair. I didn't care how hot he was I needed the contact.

Henry tried to take the mask off, but I grabbed his hand away. "Keep it on." I said gently. I knew Henry wanted to talk, but I didn't want him to have trouble breathing. "Did David tell you where I was?" Henry nodded his head yes. "I didn't want to leave you. Mary forced me to stay home. She is a lot stronger then she looks." That got a smiled out of the kid. "David was sending me hourly texts too letting me know how you are doing. Are you feeling any better?"

Henry nodded his head yes, though I knew it was mostly a lie. There was a part of him that felt better since I was here, but my presence alone wasn't enough to make him better.

"Have you slept at all since I left?" Again Henry nodded his head it was another lie. "I know you haven't. Come on you should try and get some rest."

"Don't…want…to…" Henry rasped.

"You won't be wasting time." I finished his sentence, "The more you sleep the sooner you'll get better and the sooner you can come home."

Henry still didn't look too convinced so I crawled into bed with him and held him in my arms.

"Sleep kid." I whispered.

My son tried to fight sleep, but as I continued to run my fingers through his hair I was able to lull him to back to sleep. As much as I could have liked to spend these moments with Henry awake, but I knew he needed sleep. There was still a part of me that thought he would pull through. My kid was just as stubborn as I was, probably more so. A little bit of poison was not going to get ride of him that easily. But for now I had to be content with holding him in my arms and watching him sleep. I was going to take advantage of what little time I had been given since I didn't know when I would get another opportunity to see my son.

"Emma." I looked up to see Mary standing at the door.

"He looks so peaceful doesn't he?" I asked avoiding her eyes.

"Emma its time to go."

"The poor kid hasn't slept since I left, I don't think he's slept this well since he got sick."

"Dr. Whale said Regina called to check in and is on her way here." I finally looked up to see tears in Mary's eyes and I knew I couldn't avoid leaving any longer.

"Good bye Henry." I whispered and gave him a final kiss on the head. "I love you so much."

I tried not jostle Henry as little as possible, but it didn't work. His eyes were half open as he looked at me.

"I have to go now Henry." I took his hand in mine, "Be a good boy. I'll see you real soon." Henry shook his head no. "I'm sorry, but I have to." I kissed the inside of his palm and walked over to Mary.

"No! Mommy don't go!" Henry shouted.

I tried to hold back my tears, but it wasn't working. Henry continued to wait for me not to leave and it hurt me knowing that I couldn't turn around and comfort him. All of a sudden Henry stopped screaming and the machines attached to my son started to go wild. I turned around as Dr. Whale and nurses ran into his room. I was about to follow them, but Mary held me back. From her arms I watched the team work on my son.

"Code blue!" someone shouted as Henry flat lined.

After a too many attempts, I wasn't' able think straight enough to count, I couldn't take it anymore. I escaped Mary's grasp and ran straight to my son.

"Ms. Swan you can't be here." Someone else said, but I didn't care nor listen.

"I'm here Henry." I cried taking his hand again. "I'm here and I promise I am never going to leave you alone again. Just please come back to me. I love you."

A machine beeped once and then again, Henry was back. I cried out of relief and fear, I had been so close to losing my son.

"Ms. Swan you really should go." Dr. Whale warned.

"No I am not leaving him." I had just promised Henry that I was going to stay, and I was not about to break that promise so soon after all that had happened.

Dr. Whale studied me for a moment and when he saw that I meant what I said he and the nurses got to work checking over my son.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Thank you so much again for all of those who have read this story and leave me such kind and encouraging! This is the second to last chapter which means that the next one will be the last one. Please enjoy and as as always let me know what you think!

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Dr. Whale had said it was a miracle that Henry pulled through. He still hadn't woken up, which worried me. Everyone kept reminding me that his body was just getting the rest it needed to heal, but I couldn't believe any of them until my son opened his eyes. Mary and I had taken back our original posts from when we first brought Henry is. The only difference was that David was sitting with us. He had said that he wanted to make sure that the kid was okay and he couldn't leave him since he had sat guard for so long. I was in no place to argue after all he had done for us. If he wanted to sit vigil with us I was not going to argue. A different nurse was working now, something else to be thankful for. I didn't think I could handle any more cheerfulness at the moment.

"Good news, Henry's fever is down." She told us while she checked my son over.

"Already?" I asked surprised that his body was already starting to heal.

"It's not as low as we need it to be, but at least it is going in the right direction."

The nurse continued to do her job, and I watched her every move with rapt attention. There was no expression on her face, which didn't leave me with many clues on Henry's condition. I had to take this as a good thing for now; at least she wasn't giving us that fake happiness when really it was concern.

Mary put her hand on top of mine and said, "See Emma Henry is going to be fine."

"I'll still feel better once he wakes up." I mumbled. It was hard to look on the bright side of Henry's condition when he was still lying on the bed unconscious.

"Ms. Swan what are you doing here?" Regina's voice filled the room; I forgot she was coming over.

"Watching over my son." I snarled not taking my eyes off of Henry.

"I thought I told you that you cannot be here until we have proven you're innocence."

"Don't care." I answered shortly, she didn't deserve my time or attention right now.

"Do you want me to arrest you?" she asked which finally got me to look at her.

"I am not leaving my son!" I shouted and jumped out of my chair to face her. "I followed what you said because I wanted to protect my son. And you know what happened when I tried to leave and when you were supposed to be watching him? His heart stopped beating that's what! I am not going to put my son's life at risk again. I don't care if you think I've poisoned him or what you do to me, but I need to be here for Henry until I know he is better." I yelled at her. I tried my best to stay calm, but it was hard to do when it was my son's life at risk.

"Emma…" Mary interrupted.

"What?" I asked harder then I meant to and I quickly shot her an apology.

"Henry is waking up."

I quickly ran over to the kid's bedside and grabbed his hand; I wanted to be the first thing that he saw when his eyes finally opened. I watched as they continued to flutter until they were open and focused on me. A smile lit up my face, my son was finally awake.

"You're still here." Henry rasped.

Mary poured him a cup of water when she heard him speak and handed it to me. I gently picked up Henry's head so he could drink. There was a part of me that was afraid that he would throw up the water like he had done earlier, and it was a huge relief when it stayed down.

"I told you I wasn't leaving." I answered once I felt he had enough to drink.

"I didn't want to get my hopes up." He answered honestly, and it hurt me to know that he felt that way. I had made sure that he would always feel wanted and knew he could count on me, and at this moment I had failed.

"You don't have to worry about that anymore. I will only leave when you tell me to." I needed to make up for leaving him. Never again would he feel that way.

"I don't think I am ever going to say that." a ghost of a smile appeared on his face.

"Well then I guess I am not leaving." I smiled back.

It felt good to have a playful conversation with my kid. I could believe now that Henry's health really had taken a turn for the better. He even felt cooler as I brushed my fingers through his bangs. His brow was still too hot, but it was much better then before.

Henry let out a big yawn "I'm tired Mommy."

I couldn't help but laugh, "I bet, why don't you try and get some more sleep?"

"Will you still be here when I wake up?" he asked, the fear of what happened before still in his mind.

"Of course kid." I tucked in the blankets and watched as Henry fell back to sleep.

"There you've seen that Henry is fine, now you can go." Regina demanded, I had forgotten that she was in the room with all the commotion of Henry waking up.

"Were you not listening to the conversation she just had with her son?" Mary asked surprising me with the fierceness in her voice.

"Ms. Blanchard need I remind you that you are also a suspect in this case."

"I don't care about that either. Henry needs us here and no threat will make us leave."

Regina was about to make another invalid point when Dr. Whale and David walked into the room. I guess David had went to get him while I was talking to Henry, something I probably should have done but the need to talk to the kid and see with my own eyes was greater then the doctor telling me that same information.

"I hear our patient woke up." Dr. Whale said, a real smile was on his face.

I nodded my head, "He did for a few minutes, but he just fell back to sleep."

Dr. Whale went straight to work checking over Henry and the machines he was attached to. He even got a reaction out of the kid with his prodding, though he didn't wake up. It was much better then before when he couldn't react to all that was happening.

"I am glad to say that Henry is out of the woods and he should make a full recovery." There was a collective sigh of relief at this news. "I would like to keep him here until his fever is gone, but in a few days I don't see why he can't go home."

"Do you have any idea what caused Henry to get so sick?" Mary asked the question we had all been wondering.

"We are still trying to figure that out. But I would suggest that you don't worry about that right now. Let's focus on getting Henry back to full health and then figure out who and what poisoned him." Dr. Whale answered.

"So do you believe that Emma and I are innocent?" Mary prodded trying to get the answer we needed to hear.

"I have not physical proof of your innocence, but after when I witnessed today with Henry's miraculous recovery I firmly believe that you nor Ms. Swan would deliberately try and hurt Henry."

"But you said there is no physical proof which means that they are still suspects." Regina said butting on, I had to bite my tongue so I wouldn't attack her.

"That might be so, but as Henry's doctor I believe that their presence is needed in order for him to make a full recovery."

I could kiss Dr. Whale I was so happy with all that he was telling Regina. Finally we had beaten her and there was nothing she could say or do to stop us from staying with the son, it was doctor's orders.

"Looks like we are not leaving anytime soon." I smirked as soon as Dr. Whale left, I couldn't help but rub it in her face.

"Apparently not." Regina turned sharply and walked out of the room.

"I'll be right back." I said to Mary, David, and Henry and followed her out of the room.

"What do you want Ms. Swan?" She asked as she continued to walk down the hallway.

"You got off easy this time." I told her.

That got her to stop, "Easy?" she turned around to face me and I quickly closed to space between us.

"I know it was you that poisoned Henry."

"Now why would I do that?"

"I don't know you think I'm a terrible mother who doesn't deserve a kid, or you wanted to have custody. Really the list is infinite." I said using the same line that she had when Regina had first told me that I was a suspect.

"You can't prove I did anything." She spat back, yet again proving to me that she was the culprit.

"You're right I can't. And right now proving that you committed the crime is not my concern. My priorities lie with the little boy that is lying in a hospital bed and making sure that he has a full recovery after someone tried to take his life. Today is your lucky day Madam Mayor."

"And why is that?"

"Because this is just a warning. You can come after me all you want, tear me to pieces all you want. But the minute you come after my son, that is a different matter. He deserves none of the hatred you feel towards me he is an innocent boy. And if you come after him again, you won't be so luck."

I didn't leave her room to argue or give her the satisfaction of getting the last word in. I simply turned around and marched back into my son's room.

"Mommy!" Henry yelled as soon as he saw me. He was sitting up in bed with tears streaming down his face.

"He woke up and got scared when you weren't here." Mary explained to me when she saw the shock on my face. "We tried to explain to him that you were just outside his room but…"

"You weren't here and you promised me you wouldn't leave." My son cried interrupting the explanation.

Regina had once again made me break a promise to my kid and scared him even more then before. I couldn't let her do this to us anymore.

"I am so sorry kid." I closed the short distance between us and crawled into bed with him.

I pulled him into my arms allowing him to cry into my chest. I rocked him back and forth hoping to calm him down before he worked himself into hysterics.

Once the tears finished falling I spoke, "I didn't mean to scare you Henry. I just needed to finish some business." I brushed away the tears that still stuck to his cheeks.

"What business?" He asked.

"Don't worry about it, just some boring adult stuff. All you need to focus on his getting better so that we can all go home."

"Even Ms. Blanchard and Mr. Nolan?" The three of laughed Henry's pure innocence in his question.

"Yes even us. We are not going anywhere either." Mary answered taking his hand hers. David nodded his head in agreement.

"So we are all going to be together, like the royal family is supposed to be. Even if it is in a hospital and not a castle." He looked at the three of us with a proud smirk on his face.

I didn't know whether to roll my eyes or sigh in relief at that comment. So instead I laughed and said, "Oh yeah you're better."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Here it is the last chapter. Thank you so much for all of you who have stuck around since the beginning. You're kind words kept me going. If anyone is interested I do have another story in the works and the first chapter should be up sometime next week. Thank you again for reading and please let me know what you think!

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It had taken two days for Henry's fever to back to normal plus one more day to make sure it didn't spike again, which thankfully it did not. Finally he had gotten a clean bill of health and could go home. He had to be on bed rest for a week, plus checkups by Dr. Whale before he could go back to school. The kid wasn't 100% better, but he was on his way to it.

Since Henry hadn't left the hospital in three days neither had I. At first I couldn't be apart from him out of fear that something would happen as soon as I walked out the door. After that though there was a great urge to shower and change my clothes. Henry freaked out as soon as I approached the subject. Mary and I were able to calm him down and he eventually allowed me to leave with the promise that I texted him to let him know what I was doing and where I was. Even with the updates and Mary and David sitting with him the kid still threw himself into my arms when I returned.

I hated what Regina had done to my son. He already struggled with separation at night, and now it was all the time. I hoped it was just because we were in the hospital and not at home. If my theory was right he wouldn't freak out as much as soon as we were back home in a safe environment. Either way I wanted him to talk with Archie as soon as possible. I didn't need him to get any worse, plus it would be good for him to talk to someone after being poisoned. I planned on calling him as soon as Henry got settled at home. Hopefully Archie would be willing to make a house call for us.

Mary had run home to get Henry a clean set of clothes to leave in. The kid and I were sitting around waiting for her to come back. He was able to stay awake for longer periods of time, and was even starting to fight me when I suggested he take a nap. He still needed those since too much activity wore him out. He denied it thought until he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore.

Mary came back with Henry's backpack slung across her shoulder. I had to help the kid into his clothes, which he also fought me on. His independence had come back with a vengeance, something that I was thankful for. Once he was changed Dr. Whale came into the room for one final check.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

Henry had a big smile on his face as he answered, "Ready to go home."

"I'm glad to hear that. Now you know the deal bed rest for the week and no physical activity."

"I know." The kid sighed, he wasn't too happy with the last part of the deal.

"Don't worry we'll make sure he follows orders." I butted in. Knowing my kid he would try to sneak out as soon as his energy level was up. We were going to have to keep a close eye on him to make sure that didn't happen.

"In that case I am going to need you to sign these papers and then Henry is free to go." Dr. Whale explained and handed me a clipboard.

I smiled at Henry as I took it; this was it we were really going home. While I signed the forms a nurse came in with a wheel chair and helped Henry into it. I heard Mary explain that it was hospital policy and I laughed under my breath. It didn't surprise me that he was fighting a nurse on being pushed in a wheel chair.

I handed to clipboard back to Dr. Whale and turned to Henry, "You ready kid?"

"Yes!" Henry cheered.

Mary walked ahead of us to go pull the car up to the door. I stayed in step with Henry and the wheel chair. I was as excited as the kid to finally be leaving the hospital. The green walls and metal chairs had gotten to me. The thought of spending the night in my own bed was even a bonus. I had been sleeping in the hospital bed with Henry, his insistence not mine. At least it was more comfortable then the chairs, though not by much. Plus we were cramped in that tiny bed which was really only meant for one person. Though I did enjoy being able to hold my son close and feel his breath against my neck and his heart beating under my hand. It let me know that he was alive and going to be okay.

I allowed Henry to get into the car by himself, but watched his every move in case he faltered. As we pulled away from the hospital I hoped we would not be see it again any time soon. I only wanted to go back these as the town's sheriff checking in on someone and not because one of my family members was sick.

At the apartment Henry's independence stuck its ugly head out again. He did not want any help from me even with all the stairs that he had to climb. I wanted to allow him this sense of freedom since he wouldn't get much more for the next week, but I didn't want him to over exert himself either. I wasn't in the mood to argue with him either and ruin the moment of him finally being home so I let him walk up the stairs by himself. I stayed close behind the kid ready to help whenever he asked or I felt the need to step in. Of course Henry never did ask and he didn't stop to take a break either.

Henry was panting when we made it to the top and as soon as I unlocked the door I picked him up and carried him to the cough. No protest came from his lips worrying me that he had over done it.

After a moment when Henry had finally caught his breath he spoke, "I thought I was on bed rest."

"You are." I agreed, he wasn't walking anywhere alone for a while. He needed to recuperate after all of those stairs.

"Then why aren't I in bed?"

I let out a small laugh, "Bed rest just means you need to be lying or sitting down and you can do that on the cough right?" Henry nodded his head yes. "Then you can stay on the couch. Mary and I thought it would be easier for you and us if you stayed down here during the day. That way we won't have to be walking up and down the stairs whenever you needed something. Then when it is time for bed we'll head up to our room."

"And what time is that?"

"When I feel it is appropriate I will let you know."

"It won't be too early, will it?"

"Depends on how good of a patient you are."

That got Henry to drop the subject. I knew I would be sending him to bed early tonight, but I didn't want to share that news with him just yet. He had trouble staying up late anyway so he most likely wouldn't notice the time when I sent him off to bed.

"I think we should have a special welcome home dinner for Henry. What do you say Emma?" Mary asked walking over to us.

I smiled up at her, "I agree, what do you want kid?"

Henry took a moment to think before answering, "Pizza."

"How about chicken and rice." Mary suggested.

"Fine." Henry sighed and rolled his eyes.

Mary and I both laughed at the kid's pouting. His appetite had bounced back shortly after his fever lowered, but that didn't mean he could go back to eating everything he wanted to. We had slowly been building his stomach back up to its old fighting self. Only recently had we re introduced solid foods, though they were all bland much to Henry's dislike. By the end of the week his diet should be back to normal, but not a moment sooner. I didn't need him throwing up again; he had done enough of that for a lifetime.

"I'm going to run to the store and buy the ingredients plus food for the week." Mary explained and also handed him a manila envelope. "To keep you busy till I get back."

Henry looked at it then back up at his teacher, "What is it?"

"Open and find out." Mary gave both of us a mischievous smile and gave a small gave before leaving.

"Open it kid." I instructed, I was interested to see what was in the envelope as well.

Henry carefully pulled back the seal and emptied the content onto his lap. "They're get well cards." He said surprised, "Everyone in the class made me one."

Sure enough there were all hand made cards each one wishing Henry to get well soon and come back. Never before had kids his own age done something like this for him. The best thing that had come from this move was that my son finally had friends, and for that I would always know that I made the right decision even with all the bad that had happened.

I kissed the top of Henry's head as he continued to read out loud each card to me. I was so thankful for this moment and all the other moments I had and would continue to have with my kid. I never have and never will take advantage of him, this experience just proved how lucky I was that he was in my life. Henry would forever be my world and nothing could ever change that.


End file.
